Towards the end of the story “Ylla,” Mr. K decides to go
hunting to pass the time until Dr. Nlle arrives. He puts on his silver mask, grabs his bee-shooting weapon and goes off. Not long
after he leaves, Ylla feels “a warmth as of a great fire passing in the air…a
gleam in the sky, of metal.” (15). This description gives the idea that a space
ship has landed. Although it is never confirmed whether a space ship really
landed on Mars, Ylla definitely hears two shots fired from Yll’s “evil insect
weapon” moments after she sees the mysterious object falling from the sky. What’s more,
readers never find out what exactly Yll fires at. Thus, readers are left
wondering if Yll kills the very two ‘aliens’ who Ylla meets in her dreams.I think this last scene is very significant because it highlights a theme present throughout the whole story: the theme of dreams and hopes. From the very beginning, Bradbury makes it clear that Ylla and Yll are unhappily married. In many ways, this couple resembles an American marriage, and just like any American trapped in an unhappy marriage, Ylla yearns for a happier life. I think she fulfills this desire for happiness through her dreams of the aliens. It’s funny to think of humans as extraterrestrial, but to the Martians, our race is strange indeed. Yet, it’s this very nature of the humans that Ylla is attracted to, for she not only finds the human Nathaniel to be oddly handsome, but she also enjoys kissing him in her dream. I read this as Ylla desiring to escape her mundane life and to experience something extraordinary, something (quite literally) out-of-this-world. By Yll shooting the two aliens (assuming those were his targets), he destroys Ylla’s fantasy of experiencing something unbelievable.
Perhaps Ray Bradbury uses this story as a commentary on the marriages
in his day. Personally, I think "Ylla" shows
how some couples, after years of marriage, lose the passion that once bound them
together and dream for something else, something that may seem unattainable. Please comment if you agree/disagree and any other thoughts you may have.
I personally would have to agree with Michael's reading of the short story. Although it is set on a completely different planet and centers around beings that may strike many of us as being downright peculiar, this is ultimately a story of a failing marriage. Even from the very beginning of the story, Bradbury draws attention to Ylla's dissatisfaction with her marriage and her yearning for Yll to "hold and touch her... as he did with his incredible books" (3). As you said in your post, Michael, it is clear that Ylla feels unwanted and desires to get something more out of life. So it makes perfect sense that she puts so much stock in her dreams of the charming Nathaniel York who gives her positive attention and wants to whisk her away to an exciting new world (a.k.a. Earth). Therefore, I most definitely agree with the idea that this short story, while providing readers with a window into an intriguing alien culture, also serves as a critique of the ways in which married couples treat one another.
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